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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Heel Triple H - A Bad Move
October 5, 2005 by Adam Veltri


Well, everybody had been predicting Triple H to turn on Ric Flair at the Homecoming Edition of RAW, and the WWE disappointed by doing what was anticipated. I think this was a bad move on many different levels as the WWE starts to begin new storylines and feuds. The obvious new feud is, of course, involving Ric Flair and Triple H. For one, this feud isn't even believable. Before his hiatus, Triple H main-evented three straight PPVs for the World title against Batista. Now because Ric Flair is the Intercontinental Champion, he is considered qualified opposition for "The Game""

I love the Nature Boy (who is still one of the best at cutting promos) as much as the next guy, but I would rather see him working the mid-card like he's been doing with the young guys than with the main-eventers. He is just too far past his prime to be considered a serious threat to Triple H, the perennial # 1 heel on RAW.

Being the # 1 heel on Raw has been Triple H's position for quite some time now, definitely since the brand extension, and probably even earlier than that. Like Angle, Edge, and Guerrero before him, it is time for a change or an evolution of his character so to speak. Kurt Angle has gone from goofy heel to a real bad ass over a lengthy period of time. Edge went from a bland face to a crazed heel after being out voted at last year's Taboo Tuesday ppv. Eddie Guerrero has done the most changing recently with transitioning from a popular face to a hated villain in his feud with Rey Mysterio and now again to a sneaky type of heel with his feud with Batista. To keep their characters fresh, most of these changes were needed. It has been a long time since Triple H has done anything with his character. His long running heel character revolves around the title and doing whatever it takes to keep it or get there. The fans were tired of his long winded promos before he left and it looks like we're in for me of the same, probably as soon as next week to explain his actions against Flair. Triple H has made character changes in his career, which is why is has been successful over the years. He has gone from the snobbish aristocrat to the cocky smartass with HBK and D-X, then again to leader of D-X to his current position as leader of Evolution. Oh yeah, he did have a face run after being out 8 months but it didn't last that long, did it"

RAW is in need of some fresh faces and Triple H can easily fill that void. I, personally, would like to see the quick witted Triple H character make some kind of a return. He can be naturally amusing and still be force to be reckoned with, especially being a former 10-time champion. He could have came back at Homecoming, cut a promo on how he wasn't sure he had it anymore after losing to Batista three straight times. He could then profess his obvious love for the business as what brought him back as the fans certainly know it to be true like him or hate him. He could of then been interrupted by Masters and Carlito for an ambush, only to be rescued by Flair. Back to my point, more faces are needed to cut promos. Right now, it is really only Cena , HBK and most recently Flair who have been able to cut good face-type promos. The heels really outnumber the faces when it comes to cutting good promos with Angle and Edge (whom I'll go into more later) and even through out the mid-card with Masters, Carlito, Conway and even Kerwin. Certainly there is no comparison going against Benjamin, Show and Kane on the mic. To really get some of these young heels over, they need to work with over faces who can give it back to them verbally as well as physically. HBK has been doing a good job of this as of late, but he can't do it alone. What's next for Masters and Carlito" Triple H feuding with either one of these guys would have continued their push. Hopefully, I'm wrong and the WWE gets them into some more interesting programs. However, Triple and Flair will certainly being taken up some T.V. time.

Going back to Kurt Angle and Edge, it is time to give some other guys, these guys specifically, the chance to "run with the ball" so to speak. This may still happen with Kurt Angle currently in that position. The question is how long will he be there though. If the decision to not let Angle have that position for a considerable time, then a new guy like Edge should have a serious run at it. However, even if Angle or Edge has runs being the # 1 heel, they will undoubtedly be overshadowed by fellow heel Triple H being on the same brand. The heel Triple H character revolves around the title and it will be interesting to see what he does after this program with Flair is over. Will he go back to feuding over the title with Cena and continue to revolve around the title or will he feud with some face mid-carders to help elevate them" He already kind of did that last year with Benjamin and Eugene and I'm afraid there isn't too many face mid-carders that he could do it again with. As far as main-event faces go, he has already extensively feuded with HBK and Kane. With Big Show rumored to taking time off, I'm afraid Cena is the only other option. My only wish now that when they feud (and they will eventually), it will be without for the title. I think there is a good chance that it may happen this way or we are in for the same old same old RAW with the heel Triple H champion. As long as he is portraying this same heel character though and like I already stated, he will undoubtedly overshadow the #1 heel fighting for the title.

by Adam Veltri ..


Mike Fullilove wrote:
If HHH wasn't a heel; he wouldn't have anybody to feud with...Uh...Carlito....er....Carlito...uh...Masters...uh...Antionio....uh...did I say Carlito...Oh! Angle! Naw they need him for Cena...uh...and Carlito...yeah...so that's like five people (three of them being Carlito...)
Brad Dykens wrote:
Uhhhh... Kurt Angle" That feuds been brewin' sing Angle kissed HHH's old lady. They never really had it out.
C.J. wrote:
Hello Adam. I agree with you 100%. Triple H has been the top heel since 1999 and has held the title 10 times already. I personally feel that he should not have been given the title ten times so quickly because there were a lot of other premier stars that had been held down for years such as Benoit, RVD, and others. Though I think that he is a great wrestler, I personally do not think that he should win any world title for a couple of years. But getting back to his heel turn, I for one am tired of hearing Helmsley cut one of his title-obsessed promos for ever and ever. I definitely do not want to see Ric Flair against Triple H at this point when Flair should be on his way out. Being that he has been heel for so many years, they should have kept him as a major face for a few years rather than his brief face turn in 2002 and the one this past week. But with the writers of the WWE today, wrestling continues to be trash.
Lee "Tha Thing" George wrote:
Flair would make a much better Heel than the game, the sides are mixed up in this feud, Flair cheatetd in all his matches and wasn't DQ'ed once. Triple H has retained the World Title over DQ which would make Flair a better heel.

No disrespect to The Game, HHH is still the best wrestler in the world but WWE should consider him as a face. He's never been a face apart from that 8 month run you mentioned earlier.
Armando Nunez (Fayetteville, N.C.) wrote:
I disagree. HHH needs to be a heel. Is a natural as a bad guy. I never saw somebody getting as much heat as he gets . I can think of a few wrestlers that can be as mean. But HHH is the new measure, the dean of bad guys .Even his attitude is so evil, he makes Saddam Hussein look like an angel. Please, let HHH be a guy that we love to hate.
Erkka J�rvinen wrote:
At the midway of your column, when you talked about the promo of masters and carlito attacking HHH i tried to imagine it in my mind and i was...touched. I felt the same when Cena turned face and ran to beat team lesnar with a chair. It had something special...a guy who i loved as a heel was now trying to make the save. It just touches when someone turns around like that especially when i like him.
mike huizar wrote:
i agree with all yall triple h needs a whole new make over this whole thing with falir makes no sence hes done it to shawn and now flair but for what i mean thers nothing for him to gain from all this but we shall see he needs to be a baby face 1ce again but for a lenghty time
Ritz For Backpackers wrote:
My take is that when Triple H was a face going into WrestleMania 18 everyone was almost expecting Triple H and Stephanie to turn heel on Chris Jericho. It's almost as though the fans will never trust Triple H and trust is a huge part of any relationship, even a wrestler/wrestling fan relationship. If Triple H was to turn face again people would be reluctant about getting behind him and so it's easier for him to be a heel.

I just don't think Triple H could become as popular as Hulk Hogan, The Rock or Steve Austin. I believe that Triple H has been around in the WWE for too long for people to consider him that break out hot young star that has hit a nerve with today's pop culture. DX is a thing of the past and even though it was cool in the late 90's, like all cool things when you look back on them years later, they're kind of ... well not so cool anymore. Don't get me wrong, DX was the best thing going and on a personal note Shawn Michaels and Triple H are my two favourite wrestlers, but to cheer for DX now would be like cheering for Hulk Hogan, nostalgic... but sad.

As far as Flair goes... does anyone think that Triple H came back just to be on the under card" It's like what Triple H was yelling at Flair, "what were you thinking"". Triple H didn't come back to wrestle Carlito or Mastwers in the under card. He didn't even come back to wrestle Flair for the prestigious I-C title, Triple H is coming for the WWE belt and Ric Flair will just be the first victim on Triple H's path of destruction back to the top. I don't think Triple H will even win the Intercontinental championship because it's like when Austin tossed that same belt off the bridge a few years ago, Triple H is too big for the "second place belt". I don't mean to disrespect the I-C title, I'm just pointing out the mentality of the storyline. Maybe after Triple H is done with Flair, Flair will, "come back to his senses and go back to being Triple H's baggage carrier and mentor and do what he's told, rather than tell Triple H what to do". In other words I would expect to see a Triple H/Ric Flair reunion, they are both heels through and through after all.

I know that as far as Triple H as a heel goes we've seen it all before and RAW is overpopulated with heels at the moment, but I don't think turning Triple H face is the answer. It might work in the short term, but in the long term the WWE has a lot of problems and turning Triple H face will not solve them. Besides the only reason why RAW is overpopulated with heels at the moment is because they've got a face champion. WWE needs an injection of hot young stars with potential and they need to give them enough rope so that they can either hang themselves or fly. Let them work AGAINST the more established heels such as Triple H and let them learn that way.
Shariff Musallam wrote:
Triple H without a doubt needed to come back as a Heel for a couple of reason. 1st off the only main event heel you have is Kurt Angle. Even though I like Chris Masters and Carlito, they are still mid carders at best until they prove otherwise. Edge is boring and really doesn't do anything to make him stand apart from the mid carders. His money in the bank bit has been drawn out too long and the Matt Hardy feud was crap. RAW needs another top heel to get things rolling. As proven with this track record Triple H is the man everyone loves to hate. 2nd- I don't see any other top drawing face on RAW besides Cena, and that goes along with my first point. Since you only have Kurt Angle as a main event level heel, no one else is climbing up the ladder. While Shawn Michaels is more than capable, they have been having him fued with washed up Hulk Hogan and a mid carder in Chris Masters. It did nothing for Michaels, Hogan, or Masters.

Now do I want to see a Triple H vs. Flair match" No, and I'm doubting we will. I think its going to be used to bring up a face to the main event status. I would say the most likely person being Shawn Michaels. Michaels and Flair have been shown as buddies fighting Carlito and Masters. Triple H vs.HBK feud would definitely get everyone buzzing again given their previous matches and history.

So was Triple H being a heel a bad move" Not at all. He's the key guy in WWE and brings everyone he faces up to his level. I think it was a good move. And now and days, who says you can't have a heel vs. heel match" Triple H is at his best as a heel and will no doubt help some midcarders move up in ranks to becoming big time players in the future.
DJ Moten wrote:
I have to strongly disagree with you Adam. The fact is, this is EXACTLY where Triple H needed to come back at. You said it best, before his hiatus he main-evented three straight PPV's against Batista. That, in my eyes, was absolute bullsh*t. In the history of WWE, even cycle back to the WWF days, no challenger has ever main-evented 3 times in a row. It showed the completely out of control ego of Paul Levesque. The most any challenger has ever gotten was maybe two. One controversial decision, and then one clean win or loss. The fact is, Triple H lost all three of there PPV's matches clean. I'll admit, the first two I could deal with. He lost the title to Batista at Wrestlemania and then got his rematch at Backlash. Plain and simple, it should have been over, then and there. But instead Paul Levesque just had to keep himself at the head of the title picture. So while any number of programs he could have worked at that time (Edge, Kurt Angle, Muhammad Hassan, Christain) were stuck being filler matches between Triple H title shots, we were getting mediocre matches at best from Triple H. And during that time, the close to 4 months between Wrestlemania & his hiatus, he wrestled 3 matches that weren't title shots against Batista. A squash against Hurricane/Rosey, a waste of 15 minutes against Jim Ross in a NO DQ match, and a match in the Gold Rush Tournament, which became a total joke due to Triple H because the winner got a title shot on RAW when it should've been a PPV match, against Chris Benoit (the one decent match he had, with Benoit carrying him again). So in a total of 8 weeks, he worked 4 matches on TV that required effort on his part. Now don't get me wrong, I think Triple H is a good wrestler, not great, good. He hasn't been great in years. He's so secure in the fact that no matter what happens McMahon's got a job for him, he doesn't feel the need to go out there and deliver.

So this is exactly where Triple H needs to be right now. Mid-card. Realizing that he IS NOT the show. He is just another cog in a machine, a part that helps things run. True, it was done in a way that EVERYONE saw coming, but that's ok. For some reason, Triple H actually feels the need to come out and put on a good match when he's in the ring with The Nature Boy, so maybe we'll see some glimpses of the Triple H of old. So in closing, this is exactly what needs to be happening in the career of Triple H. Realizing that people can watch a PPV and not have to have the last thing they see for the night, be something to do with him. Let's hope that WWE plays this smart and we see at least 2 more challengers after Kurt Angle for John Cena's title before we see Triple H getting anywhere near title contention.
Glenn Scott (#1 Sting fan) wrote:
It's pretty obvious that HHH is just trying to be the #1 wrestler on the RAW roster. His first step is becoming the IC Champion, thuis making him the number 1 contender for the WWE titile. I pretty much see that happening, and we'll all see a rematch with HHH and Cena once again. I'm sure no-one wants to see that. I think Angle shoul dbeat Cena, then HHH beats Flair making a future match/fued with Ange and HHH. To add some excitement...how about an Edge/Triple H feud" Edge will use the Money in the Sack thingy which will make hunter mad, creating a good Feud. Triple H shouldn't win in my opion, but just to boost ratings, make Matt Hardy come out of nowhere and cost Edge the match lol. Heh Just my thoughts, but yea like I said, HHH is just going for the title step by step, and the first step is ofcourse becoming the number 1 contender, and the best way to get that...is becoming IC champ.
Richard Powell wrote:
Triple H should be a heel (faces do not go around destroying people with sledgehammers) but it does not mean he necessarily has to have the title right away or even within the next year or so. I think a good storyline for Triple H would be, he may feel he did not have it anymore after three losses to Batista and that he had to come back and see if he still "has it". Meanwhile, Angle becomes Champion of RAW (Cena is a joke for WWE Champion) and during that Triple H goes through a "Gauntlet" if you will of superstars in various fueds which could set up a showdown between Kurt Angle vs Triple H for the WWE Title at the next Wrestle Mania. A WWE title match between Kurt Angle vs Triple H would be a strong main event match anywhere at anytime. This way either Angle or Edge can get a title run (I would prefer Angle of course) and Triple H can be kept in the thick of things while the mid-carders can get pushed.

A "feud" between Flair and Triple H is not only unbelievable, it is downright laughable at this point. Flair has always stood by Triple H and I can't imagine what possible storyline WWE can come up with that would make a Triple H/Flair feud credible. Flair should continue to work the Mid-Card with the younger guys but with an occasional main event match, (I think Flair still has enough to do a main event match here and there as this will also give his Intercontinental title major status).

Notice that in this fantasy match-up between Kurt Angle vs Triple H for the WWE title I did not pick a winner. I leave that to everyone's imagination......
Matt Geddes wrote:
What if " Just what if they went ahead with the Triple H V Ric Flair feud and they made it so Flair could retain his "dirtiest player in the game" gimmick. He could cheat every which way to beat Triple H from here to Wrestlemania, and they could slowly turn Triple H face. Flair could retain the IC belt and work against the up and comers, while Triple H would become obsessed with beating Flair, taking him out of the main title picture for a while, allowing Angle, Cena, Show, Kane etc the main stage. They could have a pay off with a no DQ match at Wrestlemania. Triple H could emerge as a tweener a'la Austin, and maybe all his detractors would be forced to shut up because a) he took himself out of the title picture for months and b) he gave arguably the greatest wrestler since Lou Thesz a chance to put some classic matches before he retires. Just a thought.
J. Smith wrote:
I'm neutral on Triple H being a heel. I can live with it or without it. I believe that the reason he decided to stay a heel is that his character has reached a "point of no return" as far as being evil is concerned. After all the horrible things that Triple H has done over the years, I think he believes that he just cannot be accepted as a "good guy" anymore, and to a certain extent I think he's right. Are we just supposed to forget what he did to guys like HBK, Orton, and Foley and like him again"

As for Ric Flair, first you should know that I am a HUGE Flair fan. I have followed his career and cheered him through the good and the bad. As far as I'm concerned, Flair is still one of the greatest and seeing him finally win the IC belt was a real thrill. To me, a feud with Triple H might not have been the best route to take, but contrary to what some have written, I think it is a believable scenario. After suffering three losses to Batista, Triple H has no credibility to come back and just automatically get a feud going with Cena or Angle. He needs something in-between, and history has shown that when Triple H and Flair step into the same ring, great things happen. They have already had two memorable matches on Raw and now that it's gotten personal, I think the matches will be even better.



Some seem to think that this feud will be short or won't go anywhere, but I have to disagree. I have been hearing a scenario that's been floating around out there and it looks like it's finally happening. The scenario is this- Ric Flair, after 33 years, is finally getting ready to retire. He said a few years ago when returned to the WWE that he wanted to go out like he came in- ON TOP. Now that Ric Flair has the IC belt, and has been feuding with both Mid Carders and Triple H, one could argue that "The Nature Boy" is back on top. As this feud heats up, it will lead into a series of matches. Flair will probably win the first one, then Triple H will end up costing Flair his IC belt, which will probably go to Carlito or Chris Masters. There may be a second match, and then at the Royal Rumble, both men will end up eliminating each other. This will be the final straw. Triple H will come out and issue a challenge to Flair to end the feud once and for all. He will challenge Ric Flair to a "Career Match" at Wrestlemania 22, with the loser being forced to retire. Flair will accept, and after having an incredible match at WM 22, Triple H will narrowly defeat Flair, ending his long and illustrious career. Afterwards, the two will probably shake hands and Flair will give an emotional farewell speech.

At this point, Triple H will be back on top as a major player and will enter into a huge feud with Angle or Cena in 2006. Only time will tell if this comes to pass, but I believe the chances are good that we will see it.
Samuel Melnichuk wrote:
I think everyone seen it coming when Triple H Returned And Had that sledgehammer in his hand.I personaly think that was great that he hit flair in the head with that sledgehmamer numerous times, threw him backstage and threw him back in his limo. If HHH didnt go heel Then what kind of Heels would WWE have" Uhh Lets see....Carlito,Chris Masters,Angle,Conway,The Mcmahons... 9 People That Are Heel And The Mcmahons Dont Even Wrestle! But They Could.. Anyways If HHH didnt turn Heel that night I would have been disapointed Because HHH is my Favourite wrestler of all time.

Altoughm I have to Agree The IC Title Should Be HHH's And Then He Could Go For The WWE Title.If he goes for the WWE title He will Be An Awesome Undisputed Champion Holding Both The IC Title And The WWE Title! Which would honestly be the best thing for all HHH's fans to see.

I am honestly sick and tired of watching Cena hold the WWE title, If Triple H Goes For The Title And Wins It I Will Literally Spit in the face of Cenas Title reign, I Would love Triple H Holding The Title Just As Much As I Would Love Triple H Holding Any Other Title.

Now To Finish This Off I'd Like To Say...WWE You Actually Did A Good Storyline For Triple H And I Hope You Keep This Up :)
Edrom41 wrote:
i personally think trips definitely should've came back as a heel as he did, but you also make a point by saying flair doesn't make a plausible opponent for triple h but it should be interesting to see how the two duel it out at taboo Tuesday
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